Exterior & Interior Detailing : Keystone Enterprises (Bangalore)

This is a discussion on Exterior & Interior Detailing : Keystone Enterprises (Bangalore) within Bangalore, part of the Team-BHP Directory category; Originally Posted by #enzowho
The Art of Detailing.
I noticed they don't mask (with tape) the logo, monograms, weatherstrip, plastic ...

I noticed they don't mask (with tape) the logo, monograms, weatherstrip, plastic stuff and rough edges when they are compounding/buffing/polishing. From my limited knowledge on detailing, that's a very important step.

I noticed they don't mask (with tape) the logo, monograms, weatherstrip, plastic stuff and rough edges when they are compounding/buffing/polishing. From my limited knowledge on detailing, that's a very important step.

Cheers!

I had the same question too and was told that masking has to be done when a rotary polisher is used,since they use Flex dual action polisher with Mennzerna polishes and foam pads,as I've mentioned in the thread it wasn't required.

I noticed they don't mask (with tape) the logo, monograms, weatherstrip, plastic stuff and rough edges when they are compounding/buffing/polishing. From my limited knowledge on detailing, that's a very important step.

Cheers!

Yes it is. I have done it myself without masking. The problem is the polishing compound will be thrown from the polishing pad and get wedged in all the places. I have found that removing them is a pain. No i take some time to mask. But prevents hassles of removing it later. 3M does masking so religiously for a reason. May be reason is rotary polisher. Dual Action polishers may be different. But for rotary its very much needed. Rotary gets job done faster.

Yes it is. I have done it myself without masking. The problem is the polishing compound will be thrown from the polishing pad and get wedged in all the places. I have found that removing them is a pain. No i take some time to mask. But prevents hassles of removing it later. 3M does masking so religiously for a reason. May be reason is rotary polisher. Dual Action polishers may be different. But for rotary its very much needed. Rotary gets job done faster.

You are absolutely right!
They seemed to have absolutely no issues with it.
The results speaks for itself.

Got my Linea Tjet refurbed & detailed by Keystone a week ago, initially was doubtful about the rare color shade (Bronzo Scurro) matching during refurb but Nirmal ensured a fantastic job to restore it to original shade.

The car has been detailed inside out, with exterior color showing up its metallic nature evidently & the leather seats feel absolutely new, also the plastics on dash & door trims have been given a quality treatment, it now feels like premium soft touch.

Here are few pics (apologies, the pics havent made enough justice to the level of detailing done by these chaps!)

The outcome is certainly the best I have experienced till date, Nirmal's team has a passionate set of guys and most importantly very accommodative. Keep the excellent work ticking guys, Cheers!

what other ceramic products/retailers did you consider and feedback if any.

Thanks

Thanks a lot.

They use their own branded Cermaic Coating

Here's a pic which I got from them when I had the same query

Honestly, it's holding quite well and makes cleaning easier in the rain.

Yes, I did consider few others but I chose Keystone based on a quite a lot of referrals, more importantly one referral whose coating is still there even after almost a year and half of usage and also in terms of monetary value and the ease of getting the job done at my convenience at my door step which was an added bonus.

Recently picked up a Triumph Tiger XRX, though under a year old, bike was totally neglected in storage. So first task was to bring the cosmetics back on track, checked couple of places but apart from Reflecton (costly ceramic stuff) no one seemed to be offering a decent detailing stuff for bikes. That is when our friendly neighbourhood Mod Vidyut prompted about Keystone. It was Friday and Nirmal gave an appointment for Sunday 11 am.

Some before shots. This is engine after a water wash previous day and mild rain ride since then

Silencer was faded and lot of muck that even pressure wash and some scrubbing couldn't help.

After another round of pressure wash, Tiggu is soaked in soap to loosen the grime.

And another 3 hours of scrubbing and wiping goes on.

Some claying on paint. Look at the muck flowing?!

After a run of machine cleaning, traditional manual rubbing for contours that machine couldn't reach.

Still not impressed with scrubbing, some harder paste is called into the job. The right most pipe is scrubbed partially Vs unscrubbed 2 to the left.

Engine all dressed up.

After a lot of struggle. Just some of that paste and brushes, no buffing and all. I like the raw look. Its a frigging adventure bike after all...

Mind you they scrub the tyre thread also.

Finally a white and shiny tank.

Fresh from factory.

Very happy with the door step service and amount of work they did in those 4-5 hours. I used to wash my Striple and i know how painful it is to get it cleaned inspite of having a pressure washer. Tiggu was way beyond my capabilities and these guys did an awesome job at a reasonable price.

Posting on behalf of my friend. From my side, must say the job is brilliantly executed. Next up will be my car

Anyway over to his review:

My Laura Tsi (aka Pseudo vrs) had aged gracefully for the last 5 years (most of the time with the previous owner who was an avid petrol head himself). Apart from the windshield and tyres the car looked fab. The scratched and dispersion inducing windshield was a pain, especially at nights. I had almost made up my mind to replace the windshield till a fellow Bhpian suggested me to get a windshield restoration done from Keystone Enterprises.

This was what I had not done on any of my cars before so I was a little skeptical. Considering the economical viability, this restoration was working out to a fraction of the cost of the windshield replacement hence just gave thumbs up to this option.

So I was given the contact of Mr. Sagar , who runs Keystone Enterprises in North Bengaluru.

The appointment experience:
Called up Sagar and got an appointment fixed . Though he was in midst of a detailing job on a 3+crore car he was patient enough to explain what he is going to do on the job and what result can I expect.He himself called me up the previous evening to remind me of the appointment with him the next day. All this put a strong image of good customer relations and management in me.

The D-Day:
As expected Sagar turned up on time. Had a little know each other talk before we moved on to business. Was pleased to meet this guy who is of the same age and passionate about cars. Seeing his car (Mk1 Skoda Octavia VRS) reinsured me that this work would definitely satisfy me. Always a good time to catch up with a fellow Vrs enthusiast .

The job:
He began the inspection of the windshield and marked out the scratches and hard water stains. He asked me to take a few photos before he commenced the job. They thoroughly cleaned the windshield and dried it. Applied their windshield restoration product and buffed it. The windshield was done part by part and post buffing the windshield was cleaned again.

End result: The windshield has got a new life, the difference is markedly seen. Most of the scratches and swirls were cleared. Only the deep ones and stone chips remained.
Driving at night is now easy and less eye straining.
I would definitely recommend this job to fellow petrol heads whose windshields have taken a toll over time.

Next up:
He noticed lot of swirl marks and a few hickies given by the pets I have !
He suggested me to do a paint correction and protection treatment which would remove most of the swirl marks, superficial scratches and give a deep glossy look. After going through the options, I selected the top German coating approved by the German trinity, even AMG.
I was sold on his work and communication hence booked the appointment for the following month.

Paint treatment:
Sagar came home at the given time with his crew and equipment.
Inspected the car again and we notified each other on the findings.
So here is the before:

They started their work with dusting and a thorough wash
Interiors were also dusted and wiped

And here comes the clay treatment to remove the impurities and roughness

Simultaneously the wheels and engine bay were given much needed attention. Gap cleaning, petrol fill region cleaning was done.

Pros:
1.Guys focus on minor details too. They cleaned my brake fluid, windshield washer and coolant tanks too!
2. At doorstep service, all they need is a water source and electricity source.They also have a free pick up and drop facility to their facility.
3. They don’t rip you off by suggesting everything they have to offer
4. They don’t use paper to dry the car . lol
5. VFM compared to the Big wigs.

Cons:
1. Time consuming. you need to give them half a day to a day at least. I have no complaints regarding this as it shows the dedication on a single car.

2. Don’t feel like taking the car out on them dirty roads after getting the treatment !

Something most enthusiasts are very careful, concerned & particular about. Not me. I always needed my car to go fast, didn’t really care about anything else. My engine, suspension and brakes are always in pristine condition. The interior & exterior however – not so much. Since my car is mostly setup as a daily drive / long distance tourer (GT), with minor changes for the occasional racing that I do - detailing was something I never had time for.

But after owning a pre-owned car which was now 5 years old, things took their toll on the exteriors, interiors and the windshield, and a good restoration was well overdue. I’d always heard about 3M, but was honestly never a of for their work. I wanted to try somebody else, someone who cares about detailing a car well, and not just running a shop for the sake for it. Another requirement I had was that the detailing team needed to be mobile. I really could not afford to leave my car a full day at a shop, and I preferred a team that would come home or to your office and do their magic in front of you.

Couple of my friends highly recommended Sagar Muralidhar, a car enthusiast owning an Octavia VRS himself, is very passionate about cars, and especially detailing cars. Sagar owns a Keystone Enterprises for the Bangalore North section, and highly prides himself on his detailing capabilities. Since he's mobile, he'll pretty much travel anywhere you are in Bangalore, even out of town if you need him to. After seeing how my friends' cars turned out, it was a simple decision to go with Sagar/Keystone. And I was not disappointed.

I’ll let the pictures do all the talking. Believe me, I’m not kidding about what 2 owners and 5 years had done to my car. I honestly believed some of the stains and marks in and around the car would never go. I was in for a pleasant surprise. I will be detailing my car with Sagar every 6 months going forward!

Before:

I opted for the Interior + Exterior + Windshield package. Apologies for the amateur photography. Sagar’s work deserved better ;-)

Post detailing in July '16, I realized the front bumper too should have got painted (my bad, should have not spared any scratch).

Got the front bumpers painted (at Sai Colorium & Key Stone facility in JP Nagar) in December, was skeptical about color matching, but Nirmal ensured the job done better than any OE dealer could do. Kudos to his expertise in this regard.

It was just a 2 day job, and the car was ready (now without any scratches), Nirmal also helped detailing the bumpers and Bonnet once again.

Let the pics do the talking:

Apart from getting your job done, they also advice on up-keeping your car on a day to day basis. This place now has become a go-to place for any paint job or detailing needs

I must apologise at the outset for not writing a review even though I've been a customer of Nirmal's for a couple of years now.

Initially, I would only get the detailing done by 3M HSR when Sidhu was operating the store. Later, the traffic got very painful and Sidhu's absence too was a factor in me not going all the way.

I realised eventually that 3M's products and services weren't as good for my car as the marketing hype suggested. The protection was lost in a matter of months in spite of their claim that it could last a year.

In 2014, I got my car detailed by my friend Sunny who was using products that Keystone was supplying in India. Nirmal, the owner, even came on the second day and helped Sunny complete the job.

In 2015, again I got it detailed by Sunny. I was told by Sunny that he is never going to detail my car again unless I got the car repainted. The multiple visits to 3M had stripped the paint off the car due to their aggressive cutting.

Sometime in 2015-16, Nirmal and his team came home occasionally for a couple of small jobs. Windshield and interior cleaning and stuff like that.

In 2016, I didn't get my car detailed but gave my car to Sai Colorium for a full paint job. The review about Sai will come up in due course of time. As of now, suffice to say I'm satisfied.

Another advantage of Sai is that Nirmal is now associated with them for their paint finishing and polishing steps of the painting process. Nirmal is a man I totally trust with my car.

As you have observed from the unnecessarily long intro, I haven't actually had a car detailed by Nirmal and Keystone.

But now it was time for a change.

While my car was sitting in Sai, my dad left his new Merc in my care when he went to Australia with my mum. With clear instructions to keep it parked at home and not drive it like a maniac.

I think we all know what REALLY happened.

I had also spoken to Nirmal and requested him to come and detail the Merc with the best possible coating known to man! He suggested the Koch Chemie 1K Nano which is a preferred coating for German cars.

A quick Google and YouTube search threw up some impressive videos and results

However, there was never any doubt in my mind. If Nirmal says it's good enough, then it's good enough.

Do note that around this tim, there have been some aggressive marketing campaigns by brands like AlwaysDry and CeramicPro. I don't know how good or bad they are but for me, a personal touch is always nice. And so, I didn't even consider them but went with Nirmal.

Nirmal and his team took a total of two days to complete the coating, but it was totally worth it!

I wish I could say 'I'll let the pictures speak for their work', but the compression while uploading to TBHP really destroys the quality.

In short, it was nothing less than amazing. The car itself is a Year and half old. It's been sitting somewhere in Mercedes Benz's factory for a very long time and the amount of swirls and micro scratches were insane.

Nirmal and his boys didn't go too aggressive as they didn't want to damage the paint.

It's been 2 months now and the coating is still holding strong. Dust and dirt doesn't stick to the car's body and it's relatively easy to keep clean.

The gloss and shine of the car when clean is just incredible.

The icing on the cake is the amount of effort and time invested by Nirmal himself. He takes great pride in his work and the work of his boys and it shows.

I believe it's this passion that sets him apart from the average Joe and this passion and attention to detail that has made him as successful as he is now.

The story about my own car, the Honda Civic is still incomplete. There were a lot of issues faced by all 3 parties involved! Sai, Keystone and me!

As of now, most of those seem to be solved and some work is still pending from Nirmal and we have scheduled a full polishing session on Sunday. Will update next week post the polishing.

Some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

1. Using the Wheel Cleaner to clean all metal deposits from the wheels and the wheel cleaner being used by Keystone

2. The Koch Chemie 1K Nano to be used on the car.

3. The shampoo they used on the car. Being modeled by the man himself!

4. Nirmal and his team inspecting the car and then spraying soap on it.

5. The Menzerna compounds used. Only the best for Keystone Detailers. Good stuff liek this doesnt come cheap, but then you get what you pay for.